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G. HEID-L BR, STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING PRAMIL' No. 490 3151. Patent ed'Jan.24, 1893.

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(No'ModeL) I 4 Sheets-Sheet V G. HEIDLER.

STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING FRAME.

No. 490,351. Patented Jan. 24, 1893.

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(No Model.) v 4 SheetsSheet a. G, HEIDLER. STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING FRAME.

No. 490,351. Patented Jan. 24, 1893.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

G. HBIDLER. STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING FRAME. No. 490,351. Patented Jan.'24,1893.

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FFICE.

ATENT GUSTAV HEIDLER, OF OHEMNITZ, GERMANY.

STRAIGHT-BAR KNlTTlNG-FRAM E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 490,351, dated January24, 1893.

Application filed December 23, 1890. Serial No. 375,548- (No model.)Patented in Germany August 22, 1888 No. 47.251, and in $pain June10,1891,No.12,040.

T0 aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GUSTAV HEIDLER, a subject of the King of Saxony,residing at Chemnitz, in Saxony, German Empire, have invented certainnewand usefullmprovements in Straight-Bar Knitting-Frames, (for which Ihave received a patent in Germany, No. 47,251, dated August 22, 1888,and in Spain No. 12,040, dated June 10, 1891,) of which the following isa specification.

This invention consists in the employment of sinkers of a novelconstruction in two-needle-frames with vertical needles arranged upon amovable needle-bar, such sinkers being so combined and guided that whenthe loops are sunk they act in a far more satis factory manner upon thethreads than the sinkers provided with a jack-arrangement for which theyform substitutes, thereby not only simplifying but also improving theknitting frames to a considerable degree, and the invention furtherconsists in means for enabling the length of the loops to be varied, andin improvements in the narrowing or fashioning mechanism.

In the accompanying drawings ;Figure 1 is a front elevation of the lefthand portion of a knitting frame constructed according to thisinvention; Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same; Figs. 3 and 4 arerespectively a transverse section and a plan of a portion of theapparatus drawn to an enlarged scale showing the new manner of arrangingthe sinkers; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of one ofthe lead sinkers; Fig.6 is a face view of a portion of the lead and jack-sinker guide; Fig. 7is a similar view of the rear jack sinker guide; Figs. 8 and 9 are viewsrespectively similar to but drawn to a smaller scale than Figs. 3 and 4showing the old manner of arranging the sinkersand jacks; Figs. 10 and11 are views illustrating the regularity of the meshes produced by theapparatus shown in Figs. 1 to 7; Figs. 12, 13, 14 and 15 are views ofthe mechanism by which the length of the loops may be instantaneouslyvaried so as to obtain more or less closely knitted fabrics; Figs. 16and 17 are respectively a front and an end elevation of the improvedmeans for operating the narrowing or fashioning mechanism.

Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

' In frames hitherto used as shown in Figs. 8 and 9 the jack-sinkers Aare of the same size as 1:. e. not longer than the lead sinkers B andboth move in short guide grooves. Each sinker A is struck bya jack orleverO moved by the slur-cock D. This method of conveying motion wasfirst applied to hand frames a long time since with a View to submittingthe sinkers and the thread to the action of a heavier body so as toobtain more neatly formed loops and prevent hard yarn when so looped,from again forcing back the sinkers after the sinking is completed. Thislatter very important condition remains unfulfilled, however, by thejacks or levers O which fall back after the sinking when the slur-cock Dhas passed. It is therefore possible and comparatively speaking offrequent occurrence for the light sinkers A to yield to the pressure ofthe loops which become deformed and uneven. The jacks or levers O labormoreover under the great disadvantage that owing'to the pressure of theslur-cock D they very frequently are bent or forced on one side andpressed or wedged in between the jack and sinker guide and therebydamage the guide more or less if they do not make it altogether unlitfor use which causes considerable loss of time and interruption in theworking of the machine. To obviate these numerous drawbacks and at thesame time to simplify the construction of the frameI ex tend the jacksinkers A as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 in the backward direction by aboutone half of their length. To this extension and also to theupwardlyprojecting portion A I rivet on each side a plate A Figs. 3, 4,and 7 and lastly I provide a special guide or guide grooves E E forthese stiffened portions. The lead sinkers B, one of which is showndetached in Fig. 5, only reach as far back as the normal position of theprojections A and retain the old form as their arrangement is immaterialas regards the object in View. The slur-cock D now acts directly uponthe jack sinkers A and strikes them at their strengthened portions wherethey are capable of resisting the shock and friction of the slur-cock.

When sinking the loops by the jacksinkers A, the sinkers A,are driven bythe slur-cock D, until they strike with their projections A, thefalling-bar F Fig. 3, which may be a piece of sheet iron or brassfastened to the sinker guide F. The loops are formed over two needles asshown in Fig. 10. After this Operation the bar 6, pushes against theprojections B, of the lead sinkers otherwise called dividing sinkers1-3, in Figs. 3 and 5, driving these sinkers B, all at once against thethreads lying over two needles, forming loops between these two needlesand moving the jack-sinkers A, a little backward by the thread itself(Fig. 10) so that all the projections A, and B, stand in. one row, asillustrated in Fig. 11. In the subsequent operations of advancing andwithdrawing the dividing sinkers and thejack sinkers the bare, takes theprojections A, and B, in its groove and moves them to and fro. Theprojection A, which is shown in Fig. 3, is part of one of the sinkers A,all of which are shown in their forward position between the needles,while the lead-sinkers B, are shown in their rearward position.

In the guide grooves E E and also at the stiffened portions the jacksinker-s A are comparatively wide apart as the lead sinkers B do notextend far enough to enter these guides. The walls of these guides cantherefore be made very strong and are not liable to get twisted. Thegrooves for the sinkers are not liable to get widened or wear out andthe sinkers themselves are securely retained in place and guidedaccurately which great-1y facilitates the sinking.

Owing to the extension and the stiifening or strengthening of the jacksinkers A they also acquire more weight and in consequence of theprovision of a double guide F F and E E their motion is attended by morefriction so that they oppose a more powerful resistance or weight to thethread and cannot be driven back by the elasticity of the loops afterthe slur-cock has ceased to press upon the sinkers. It will thus be seenthat the working capacity of the sinkers is increased since theirpressure or weight alone equals in its effect the total pressure of thejacks and sinkers of the old construction, while at the same time theirefficiency is enhanced as they prevent the loops from getting out ofshape, the elasticity or stiffness of the thread being no longersufficient to push back or repel these new heavy sinkers. The result isthat as shown in Fig. 10 loops of exactly the same length are formed inthe sinking and after the dividing of the loops as in Fig. 11 theseloops produce perfectly regular meshes. The knitted fabric obtained bymeans of this frame shows this effect clearly in the uniformity of therows of meshes, the same being all that can be desired. The increasedsimplicity of the loom enables it to be operated or worked, at a muchgreater speed and thus to produce a far greater quantity of materialwhich at the same time is also of better quality.

In. Figs. 13, la and 15 is illustrated an extremely simple and readilymanageable lever arrangement for the adjustment of the needle-barenabling the length or size of the meshes to be varied and thus to causethe machine to produce more or less closely (stiff or loose) knittedgoods or fabrics.

The shaft G, called the pressure-shaft is in connection with theneedle-bar I, by means of the arm II, link W, and fork or yoke V.Another lever formed in two parts G, G is fastened to the same shaft G,and bears with its roller or truck G against a cam of the camshaft ormain-shaft L, Figs. 1 1 and 15. This cam moves the parts G G, G, and H,W, V, in such a way as to press the needles against the sinker-guide F,but during the sinking of the loops, the needles are held by thecircular portion of the cam in a position which is shown in Fig. 8, viz:the sinker-web stands at acertain distance say to the right hand side ofthe needle. The slur-cock D, then pushes the jack-sinkers A, through theneedle row as in Fig. 3, and then their webs are a certain distance tothe left hand side of the needle as shown such distance being as greatas the loop or meshis long. Now, if the position of the needles relativeto the sinkers is altered, if the needles stand (Fig. 8), more or lessdistant from the sinker-webs, these sinker-webs will go through theneedle-row, 2'. c. reach beyond it, a less or greater distancc,andconsequently form shorter or longer loops. This alteration in theposition of the needle-row during the sinking of the loops is the objectof the construction of Figs. 14 and 15. By turning the screw G the leverG, is moved nearer to or farther from the lever G which bears with Gagainst the cam of the mainshaft L, and in this manner a little movementis given to the shaft G, and by means of the parts H, XV, V, to theneedle-bar I, so that the needle row is placed nearer to or farther fromthe sinkers, the loops becoming longer or shorter and the fabric moreloosely or closely knitted.

In knitting frames as hitherto constructed there is generallya narrowingchain provided with studs or projections which actuate by pressure alever carrying a roller thereby setting in motion the cam shaft and theeccentrics or cams mounted thereon which in their turn operate thenarrowing or fashioning mechanism. The arrangements hitherto known wereattended by the inconvenient feature that the studded chain had to bedrawn underneath the lever with considerable force and therefore thechain as Well as the studs suffered considerably through Wear, inaddition to which the chain was liable to get twisted therebysubsequently rendering the narrowing or fashioning mechanism irregularand unreliable. To avoid this fault the following construction has beeninvented. Before ICC the beginning of narrowing (fashioning) the wholemain-shaft L, Figs. 1, 2, 16 and 17, has to slide longitudinally withall its cams, so as to take them away from their levers and to throw outof action those cams which produce the fabric and bring into actionthose which actuate the narrowing mechanism. This sliding of the shaftL, is performed by a lever T, the roller T, of which bears againstorstrikes one of the two cams Kand J. In its lowered position the rollerT, gets into the way of the cam K, which, during the revolution of theshaft L, rubs against the roller T, and as the lever T, is immovable inthe direction of the length of the shaft L, the cam K, is drivensidewise to the left, taking the shaft L, with it. In the raisedposition of the lever T, the cam J, strikes against its roller T, and ispushed to the right, taking the shaft L, with it to the right. The rearend I, of the lever T, (Fig. 2) lies loosely (freely) under one end ofthe lever S, as is clearly shown in Fig. 2, the other end of S, bearsupon the pat-tern chain R, and is lifted by the studs R, of the same,thus pressing the end I, of T, down, lifting T and T, and performing thealteration of the position of the lever T, (lowered or raised) and theshifting of the main shaft longitudinally to the left or to the righteither for narrowing or for making rows of loops. The chain R, passesround the chain-wheel Q, which is connected with the ratchet-wheel P,and turned by the hook or pawl O, of the lever N. A cam M, of the mainshaft L, gives motion to the lever N.

In common arrangements the studs B, in the chain B, have to do heavywork in lifting one end of the lever S, and pressing down the other endand with it the rear end of the lever T. To overcome this inconvenienceIgive to the lever T, a side roller T Figs. 16 and 17 and to the shaftL, a cam U, which strikes the roller T at each revolution and lifts itand the lever T, (the rear end of which sinks down and with itthe longerand heavier end of the lever S, Figs. 2 and 16, while the short andlight end of S, rises) just when the chain R, is to be moved.Consequently if a stud is coming on it has not to lift the lever S,itself, as the same is already liftedas above mentioned; the stud takesup its position under S, and holds S and T, for performing the shiftingof the shaft L, after the cam U, has left the roller T When there is nostudcoming on the levers sink back into their former positions. By thisarrangement all the wear and tear of the chain-studs and levers isavoided.

I claim 1. In a straight bar knitting frame the combination with theneedles vertically arranged upon a movable needle bar, of lead sinkersand jack sinkers, the latter extending back farther than the former anda slur-cock arranged to act directly upon the rear ends of the jacksinkers, substantially as described.

2. In a straight bar knitting machine the combination with the leadsinkers, of the jack sinkers having their rear ends thickened andextending back of the lead sinkers, guides F, F, grooved to receive boththe load and jack sinkers and guides E, E, having grooves to receive therear or thickened portions of the jack sinkers, substantially asdescribed.

3. In a straight bar knitting frame the combination with the leadsinkers and guides F, F, therefor, of jack sinkers having their forwardends sliding in the grooves of the guide bars, F, F, and their rear endsthickened, grooved guide bars E, E, for the thickened ends of the jacksinkers and a slur-cock D, arranged to contact with the thickened orrear ends of the jack sinkers, substantially as described.

4:. In a straight bar knitting machine the combination with the chain Ithaving studs R, and means for moving the chain intermittently, of thelever S, having one end arranged to bear upon the studs, the lever T,having one end in engagement with the lever S, and a cam U, upon whichthe opposite end of the lever T, bears, said cam and levers beingconstructed to raise the lever S, from the studs R, at each movement ofthe chain, substantially as described.

5. In a straight bar knitting frame the combination with the pressershaft of a jointed arm G G and set screws G substantially as describedand illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

6. In a straight bar-knitting frame the combination with the pressershaft G, and needle bar I, of a jointed arm carrying an anti-frictionroller or truck and an adjusting screw, an arm H, link W and yoke V,substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

7. In a straight bar knitting frame the combination with the cam shaft,of the chain R, having the studs R, the cam M, and connections forintermittently moving the chain, the lever S, having one end arranged tobear upon the studs R the lever T, having one end in engagement with thelever S, and having at its other end the rollers T, T cams J and K,arranged upon either side of the rollers T and a cam U, upon which theroller I ,bears, substantially as described. I

In testimony whereof I have hereto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

GUSTAV HEIDLER.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM R. MATTHES, R. E. J AHN.

